NBC Still Can't Get Olympic Coverage Right, Won't Air Opening Ceremonies Live

Despite NBC promising more than 3,500 hours of live video from the London 2012 Olympics, American viewers will still not be able to (legally) watch the opening ceremonies live, even online.And despite a lame excuse from NBC, the real reason is that they are making a ratings grab.

Instead of being shown live on one of NBC’s six networks, two specialty channels, one 3-D channel or streamed online, the opening ceremonies will be tape-delayed on NBC tonight at 7:30 pm, on both the east coast and the west coast.

NBC released a statement (via Mashable.com) in which they explain that the opening ceremonies are “complex entertainment spectacles that do not translate well online because they require context.” Of course, this doesn’t explain why the ceremonies can’t be aired on one of their networks.

The real reason is that NBC wants to maximise the ratings, if not the actual viewership.

Rather than giving as many people as possible the opportunity to watch the ceremonies, by spreading the viewers over multiple platforms, NBC will be able to draw a smaller audience to one broadcast. But that one broadcast will now have higher ratings.

NBC will then turn around and scream at the top of their lungs, “LOOK AT OUR RATINGS! LOOK AT OUR RATINGS! WE’RE SO AWESOME!”